Lin is a teenage boy who lives near the border of Cambodia and Vietnam. Lin helps care for his two younger siblings so that his parents can work in a factory far from their family home. Lin likes growing vegetables and spending time with his friends. His goal is to return to school soon. A few weeks ago, Lin started experiencing ear discomfort, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Medication has not improved his condition. He is not sleeping well and is finding it difficult to communicate. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), can help. On March 15th, surgeons at CSC will perform a myringotomy procedure to drain fluid from his ears so he can hear better and no longer experience his uncomfortable symptoms. Now, he needs $184 to help fund his procedure and care. Lin said he hopes his hearing and sleep can improve after surgery.

Uditah is a 29-year-old woman from Uganda who runs her family’s retail shop. Her husband practices small-scale farming, and they own a three-room home. Uditah has three kids and is expecting her fourth child soon. Her kids are nine, seven, and four years old, all studying in primary school. During her free time, Uditah enjoys spending time with her family. Uditah’s doctors recommend that she deliver via a Cesarean section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Uditah undergo a C-Section on June 5th. AMH is requesting $214 to fund this procedure. Uditah shared, “I pray for a successful surgery. I will continue to run my family’s retail shop for further development of my family.”

Nanfaho is a four-year-old boy from Uganda. He is the 8th born in a family with four brothers and three sisters. His mother describes Nanfaho as a humble and gentle boy and says that she could see him becoming a teacher one day. Nanfaho's mother and father both grow crops to feed their family and sell off the surplus to generate an income. One year ago, Nanfaho developed a hydrocele, which is a type of swelling in a sensitive area. He experiences difficulty performing daily tasks and has difficulty playing with others. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On July 6th, Nanfaho will undergo hydrocele repair surgery at AMH's care center. AMH is requesting $139 to fund Nanfaho's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Nanfaho s mother says, “I hope my boy will get better and will be able to resume school once he is operated.”

Yana is a 21-month-old toddler who lives near the Vietnamese border with her parents and older brother. Both of her parents work in the village mosque and her brother is in 4th grade. Yana loves playing with dolls and eating Cambodian cake and fried bread. Yana was born with bilateral club feet, meaning that both of her feet are twisted out of shape. With clubfeet, the tissues connecting the muscles to the bone (tendons) are shorter than usual. This causes difficulty walking and wearing shoes. Yana and her dad traveled 5.5 hours to Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) where surgeons will perform a surgery to repair her club feet called percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening on July 20th. Yana's parents are able to contribute $100, and CSC is requesting $572 to fully fund her clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes without any difficulty. Her father shared, "I hope Yana's feet can rotate so she can walk and play with other children and attend school when she is older."

Bridget is a small-scale farmer. She studied up to the seventh grade in school but had to drop out due to lack of school fees. Her husband too does small scale farming to earn a living for their family. They own a two-room mud house for shelter, and it normally takes her 2 hours to access the nearest water source. During her free time, Bridget enjoys spending time with her family. Bridget is currently expecting her first child. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section because it is a prolonged pregnancy with complications. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Bridget undergo a C-Section on May 11th. This procedure will cost $214, and Bridget needs your support. Bridget says, “I pray for a successful surgery. I will resume farming after I am better.”

Unious, who is 27 years old, is a small-scale farmer. Together, she and her husband - who is a truck driver - have four children. Unious is currently expecting a new baby and her doctors are recommending that she have a C-section to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Unious undergo a C-section on May 23rd, at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. This procedure will cost $252, and Unious needs your support to fund her care. Unious says: “I will be grateful when I deliver well. I appeal for your support since I don’t have any money to take me through this process. I want to get back to my farming when I am strong again.”

Shillah is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. She is a mother of five and resides in a three-room iron sheet house in Rukingiri district, Uganda. Her husband is a mechanic in the nearest town; however, even with their shared income, they cannot afford Shillah's surgery. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. She is currently expecting her sixth child. Her doctors recommended that she deliver via a caesarean section because of two previous childbirth scars. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Shillah undergo a C-Section on May 23rd. This procedure will cost $252 and Shillah needs your support. Shillah says, “I hope to be relieved of this burden of financial constraints. I am hoping to deliver my baby safely and be able to resume farming for a living.”

Soe is a 16-year-old student from Burma. He lives with his grandmother, sister, and two uncles in Karen State. His grandmother is a homemaker while he, his uncles and his sister are students. They sell betel nut and vegetables from their garden, and his aunt also sends them money every month. In his free time, he enjoys fishing. Yesterday around 8pm, Soe drove his motorbike to his friends house, with his friend driving another motorbike behind him. On the way there, he collided with another motorcycle driving on the wrong side of the road, head-on. Since the accident he has been semi-conscious but luckily his friend arranged for him to be brought to a hospital. He was then brought to Mae Sot Hospital and he was diagnosed with Intracranial hematoma and needs emergency to drain the blood. Soe's family is seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. He is now scheduled to undergo emergency surgery on April 5th and their family is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. "I am very worried about him and I hope that my nephew will wake up soon. He is the oldest child and he looks after his grandmother," said Soe's aunt.

Anold is a five year old and the second born in a family of three children. His mother is a farmer, while his father is a bicycle mechanic. Anold's mother observed that he was experiencing discomfort and then, while washing him, she noticed a swelling, which causes Anold pain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $170 to fund Anold's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled to take place on April 11th, at Rushoroza Hospital. Once completed, this procedure should enable Anold to live more comfortably and confidently. Anold’s father says: “My son is not well, and anything could come out of his current condition if not treated. I believe he will comfortably take on his studies after recovery for a bright future.”

Khin, who needs heart surgery, lives with her parents and her two younger brothers in a rural village in Burma. She attends school in the same village, and is currently in grade nine. Her father supports the family by growing beans and cutting sugar cane. The income her father earns is just enough to cover their family's daily living expenses. When Khin was two years old, she started to have difficulties breathing, coughing blood and suffered bloody noses. Her parents took her to a local clinic and the doctor just gave her medication without providing a medical examination nor an explanation of her condition. By the age of eight years old, her symptoms intensified significantly, accompanied with pain in her chest, tiredness, and headaches. Khin's parents took her to one of the hospitals, which takes six hours by boat from her village. The doctor performed medical tests and told them that Khin has a heart problem. In order to treat the condition, the doctor gave her five different types of medication. Despite the new medication, her condition was not improving. A year later, she went to a farther hospital, where she received an echo and a new type of medication. Although the medication sometimes reduced her coughing, her other symptoms were still present. In the middle of 2019, one of the village doctors that treated Khin before, suggested the family to visit Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), as there was a possibility that they could help her out. After traveling for three days, the family arrived at MTC, where she was referred to Mae Sot Hospital. Now Khin needs to undergo surgery to heal her heart condition and finally relieve her symptoms. Khin's mother shared, "I want my daughter to receive treatment soon so that she can return home and go to school without tiredness."

Bright is a firstborn child to a young mother. He is often taken care of by his grandmother as Bright's mom continues with school. She has moved to a closer school so that she can be near to home and breastfeed her baby during the day. Both Bright and his mother live with his grandparents, who are all farmers. His grandparents get their income from the sales of farm produce like rice, cassava, groundnuts and maize. They use this income for their upkeep and for paying school fees for Bright's mother, but they cannot manage to pay for the surgery cost that Bright needs so are seeking support. Together, they live in a three bedroomed house without water and electricity. Bright was well until after two weeks of birth when the grandmother noted a swelling on the right inguinal region that made them visit a clinic for support, where they were referred to a district hospital for further management. There, his mother was told to go back home and to keep a closer eye on his condition and was assured that this swelling might stop as the child grows. There has not been any change apart from the worsening of Bright's pain, which is hard for both him and his mother - often having both of them in tears. Bright's grandmother is responsible for calming the situation by trying to lie the baby down to reduce the swelling. Bright's grandmother has had many more visits to the hospital with Bright but to no avail. The illness has affected the family’s daily activities, making his mother miss many classes due to her baby’s illness. On the same note, his grandmother's farm work has been affected since only the grandfather is doing the work instead of the three of them. Last month, both granny and Bright's mother took Bright to the hospital, and by chance, they met the surgeon from our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center who confirmed the diagnosis of inguinal hernia, and his grandmother was notified of the need for a surgical intervention called a hernia repair. His mother was happy to hear about the potential operation for her son finally. Due to their financial challenges, Bright was referred to our medical partner's Watsi program, where after assessments, Bright was eligible. His grandmother was glad and freely committed to contribute what they could: MWK 5, 000 ($4.89). Bright's mother believes the surgical operation will help her child get back to being healthy and that will help her concentrate on her education without disturbances. She believes Bright will be well again soon and they can all go back to being happy! Bright's mother joyfully said, “thank you, sponsors, for supporting us, looking forward to a brighter future for my son.”

Soethima is an 8-year-old student who lives in Kampong Thom province with her parents and two brothers. She is the youngest child and currently attends 3rd grade at her local public school. In her class, she enjoys learning about Khmer history. Her father serves as a soldier while her mother works at a factory. During her free time at home, she watches comedy movies and likes to watch her brother solve math problems for his homework. For the past three years, Soethima has been experiencing a recurrent sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty sleeping. Her parents took her to the local government hospital for a consultation but were unable to afford the cost of surgery. This frequent illness causes her to miss school, and she misses her friends when she has to stay home. Soethima was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Soethima, which is scheduled to take place on May 9th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Soethima of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Her mother said: "We hope to see Soethima grow up healthy and without difficulty swallowing while eating, and she can breathe easily, just as she did before."